TORONTO — More than 120 hospitality and foodservice insiders gathered Friday, June 24, at Kostuch Media’s Top 100 and Top 50 Foodservice and Hotel Awards held at The Westin Prince hotel, Toronto.
Scrambled eggs, bacon, fruit and pastries fuelled the morning’s guests who gathered to see who rounded out the top 10 on Foodservice and Hospitality magazine’s Top 100 and Hotelier magazine’s Top 50 list — both compiled based on 2010 fiscal sales. Tim Hortons led the pack on the foodservice side, raking in $5.6 billion and earning the biggest dollar increase ($309.6 million). Meanwhile, Sunset Grill took the cake for the biggest percentage increase year-over-year with a 52.1-per-cent increase to $35 million in sales. On the hospitality side, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts took the top spot with an estimated $3.892 billion in sales, Starwood Hotels and Resorts showed the biggest sales jump with an increase of $138 million and Easton’s Group of Hotels showed the greatest percentage increase with a 41.8-per-cent sales boost.
Next, Sodexo and South St. Burger Co. picked up Green Leadership awards and Leslie Carson earned the inaugural Local Food Champion award for her efforts maintaining a strict budget as the manager of food and nutrition services St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Guelph, Ont.
Following the accolades and a Top 100 synopsis from Kevin Higar director of Research and Consulting Services of the Chicago-based research firm, Technomic, a panel of seven sustainability advocates in foodservice, hospitality and the energy sector led a panel discussion about their contribution to the green movement, its greatest challenges and action plans for the future.
“The industry as a whole has done a lot to put green on the agenda, but we still have a ways to go,” began panellist Eli Bamfo, Compass Group Canada’s environmental health and safety specialist, spurning a discussion about evolving customer demand.
But, it’s not all about the consumer. “Pursuing sustainable initiatives makes good business sense,” said panellist Bill Duron, program director for the Greenbelt Fund, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting and sustaining Ontario’s greenbelt. Boosting sustainability practices gives a competitive edge and can increase the revenue of a company, he added.
The panellists talked about how business owners shouldn’t stress about where to start greening but should just do it. “Getting engaged is the first step and other steps will follow,” said Jamie Kennedy of Jamie Kennedy Kitchens.
Photo by Lynne Fox